Lamentation - C J Sansom

In C J Sansom's most recent installment, hunchbacked medieval lawyer Matthew Shardlake is asked to help Queen Catherine Parr recover a compromising book revealing her controversial religious opinions, before it is brought to King Henry VIII and causes her downfall and possible execution. His efforts to discover the book entangle him with some of the most powerful figures in the realm and lead him into danger and self-doubt.

As with the previous novels in the series, one of the best things about this novel is the vividity of description Sansom uses to bring the reader into medieval London. We experience the sights, smells and sounds, and are jostled in the crowds along with Shardlake. I'm not ashamed to admit that much of my historical knowledge is taken from historical fiction, and getting to know historical characters and their deeds by almost experiencing them by proxy sticks in my mind much better than by trying to memorise dates and battles.

Sansom creates memorable, believable characters, and the plot twists and winds deviously with betrayal, double-bluffs, spies and infiltration. Lamentation is full of emotional depth as well as intrigue, and keeps you turning the pages right until the end.

Next up: The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting by Syd Field

Christmas presents

This week's Booking Through Thursday is:

Did you get any great books for holiday gifts this year? Have you read them yet?
If not, were there any you hoped you would get?

Well, I'm glad you asked, Booking Through Thursday, because I got some lovely books this Christmas.

I've already mentioned the French novels my brother got me as combination birthday and Christmas present, but for Christmas I also got Cats' Miscellany by Lesley O'Hara, C J Sansom's latest Shardlake novel, Lamentation (in a beautiful embossed-effect hardback), and a 1913 edition of Stories from Shakespeare, retold for children by Thomas Carter. It's still in great condition and has some lovely illustrations inside.

How about yourselves? Any good books (or good other things, for that matter) this Christmas?

Recommendations

This week's Booking Through Thursday is:

If a friend asks you to recommend a really good book—good writing, good characters, good story—but with no other qualifications … what would you recommend? 


I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no way I can settle for just 'good' as a descriptor - there are so many different kinds of books. I'm going to be a bit of a rebel and go through a few categories here:

Vaguely historical drama: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters are both absolutely wonderful and very thought-provoking.

Fantasy: Anything in the middle-range (chronologically) of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series - most of them from Mort (1987) through to Carpe Jugulum (1998) have endless rereading appeal for me. I find his very first novels are too much parody and too little substance, and the later ones are too much like a straightforward novel to take many repeated readings. That middle range for me is the perfect balance.

Historical mystery: Ellis Peters' Cadfael series, and C J Sansom's Shardlake series. The Unquiet Bones is amazing too.

Modern thriller: Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy (of which I'm currently reading the second novel) is great so far - gripping, intense and very clever.

'Real' historical novels (as in written a couple of hundred years ago+): Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray and all of Charlotte Brontë's novels are so poignant in their sense of human nature, as is Jane Austen's Persuasion. If you're looking for something lighter, Austen's other novels or Henry Fielding's works are perfect for an amusing social critique.

I'm sure there are infinitely more amazing books that I've missed off here, but those are the main ones off the top of my head. If you have any recommendations please let me know below - I'm always excited to find new novels!

Heartstone - C J Sansom

Heartstone, the fifth in Sansom’s Shardlake series, continues the adventures of hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake. In this novel Shardlake travels to Portsmouth to investigate claims of abuse of a wardship trust, and to look into events that put a friend of his into Bedlam nineteen years previously.

Once again, Sansom really shines in his vivid descriptions of Tudor life – not only do you get the sights and sounds of the time, but the smells, physical sensations, and everyday inconveniences. Even descriptions of naval skirmishes with the French are gripping, and really put you into the heart of the action, and I normally get rather bored during battle descriptions. The bustling military encampments, overcrowded cities and (on the surface) serene, secluded country estates all leap off the page and into the mind’s eye. Maps of Shardlake’s journey and of the areas he visits really add to the immersive quality of the story and allow the reader to trace, in physical terms, the location of the action.

I did find this novel slightly less enjoyable to read than its predecessors, in part perhaps because so few of the characters the reader spends most of the time with are likeable. There is a sense of frustration during parts of the narrative where investigations seem to be going round in circles, which certainly mirrors that felt by the protagonist, but makes for more difficult reading. That said, the dénouement turns assumptions on their head and puts a new perspective on events.

Historical cameos featuring Henry VII, Catherine Parr and the Mary Rose, among others, are done deftly and without ostentation, blending seamlessly into the landscape of the novel without any sense of being unnecessary or out of place.

In short, another wonderfully vivid and compelling instalment in the Shardlake series. Wikipedia tells me to expect book six, Lamentation, sometime this year, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Next up: The Island of Dr Moreau, by H G Wells

Dark Fire - C J Sansom

I finished my second night shift in a row this morning, and between wanting to pass out and continually having to ask myself 'what day is it?', this post may not make much sense. But I'll do my best!

I have to admit that I have difficulty remembering which of Sansom's Shardlake series I've already read, which is why I'm reading the second novel after having already read the third (Sovereign) and fourth (Revelation). That's not to say that they're forgettable - anything but. I blame the short, slightly abstract titles - while they are all relevant to the action, I find I have to really think to figure out which plot was which from the titles alone.

Dark Fire is about the rediscovery of the deadly weapon, Greek fire, in Tudor London, with (as always) a murder investigation thrown in. Hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake navigates a political minefield, caught between Thomas Cromwell and the factions seeking his overthrow.

Sansom balances mystery, action and intrigue perfectly, with a tempo that draws you in and keeps you hooked throughout. At over 500 pages, this isn't a short novel, but it's one you never want to put down. He creates three-dimensional flawed but mostly likeable characters, even where historical cameos are concerned.

One of the things I really love about this series is the way the historical setting is conveyed - the descriptions have a really tactile quality which places you firmly in the bustling, stinking, dangerous city that is 1540s London, and contemporary events are integrated seamlessly. You never feel like you're having a history lesson, but you come away feeling as though you understand and have experienced life in that time in a way plain facts can never give. I find reading historical novels one of the most effective (and enjoyable!) ways to learn about history - on my masters course we were actually recommended Ellis Peters' wonderful Cadfael series as a way to learn more about Medieval legal administration.

Dark Fire definitely doesn't disappoint - it's gritty, engaging, and keeps you guessing right until the end, without the solution to the mystery being so convoluted you feel you never had a chance to figure it out. If you're a fan of history or mystery novels (you can tell I'm sleep-deprived because I find it very funny that that rhymes), I wholeheartedly recommend the entire Shardlake series. I've still got number five (Heartstone) to read, and am looking forward to it immensely.

Next up: The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger